Arctic, Antarctic Gothic

“Nature is not natural and can never be naturalized” (Graham Harman, Guerilla Metaphysics).

Aporetic Press invites the submission of abstracts for a collection of essays on Arctic and Antarctic Gothic.

Given the importance of questions of materiality and realism in contemporary critical theory and philosophy, it is not surprising that ascribing agency to inorganic phenomena or thinking through the horror of nature has become the central focus for explorations for these questions. This collection will seek to examine representations of the Arctic, Antarctic and cold landscapes in gothic and horror media from the nineteenth century to the present in order to discuss the ways in which such desolate, cold, dark and indifferent landscapes become the embodiment of monstrosity and horror. Arctic Gothic narratives are attempts to understand an indifferent natural world within which the subject is trapped and confronted by unknown and incomprehensible powers, entities and things.